My step-mom I recently found out collects Owl things.I said I'd make her one for Christmas. Decided to try something different with this Owl in a Tree model I like.

Have many Black Walnut branches from a tree my aunt had cut down 2 years ago, and I had cut some into pieces.Having not done this before, I decided to take a piece from my kitchen counter that I had cut/sanded with bevels/oiled and left on the counter as incentive to think about the branches, and make one for ME My piece was within .25" in all respects except for the bevels on mine...so just resided and shifted model.Jigging was a slight PITA, as I had beveled the bottom so it could flat, or rocked back to the second bevel to account for where it was put. Also I had hand sanded enough so no surfaces were perfectly flat, or at right angles.

Did a 3D Raster with Drillman1's .125" Longer downcut(cuts nice).

And then at 4:40pm yesterday I got stupid, and went for the Finish toolpath without correcting my Time Estimate Scale for 3D The only bit I had that could take the model's X2 increased depth and detail was the 3"long/ .25"shank /.25mmRadius Chinese TBN I bought one of when I ordered another set of the Tiny .125" shank ones I've posted about.Needless to say at 12:30 this morning I was VERY carefully watching that bit, as it came closer, and Closer to my wood clamp!!!I figured that one a shade too close! And should definitely not start a 3D cut if it's dark out!

With lighting and the way it was set up, I couldn't really see that gray area on the chest from wheelchair height, and maybe by reclamping, and dropping my Z down I could have eliminated thatif I hadn't been rushing to get started soonest so I could finish some Topo prelim file jobs on this computer, as 2 people are coming today. I'll keep it, and it will remind me not to rush! Here it is on the machine with only a rough brush.

Good practice and making me rethink my step-moms piece.These are just more brushing, blowing with compressed, and rubbing fingers on it. No sanding, no finish, as thinking about doing something with the eyes.scott

It looks like there is some undercutting around the head. I mean that is a really good way. It looks like more than a BAS Relief. It looks more like a 3D that cannot be done with a 3 axis machine. Looks more like 5 axis work.

That is actually on my list of things I would like to do but probably never will, had that model for years & wanted to cut it in a piece of Yew log, problem is with the low gantry I have I need to either raise the gantry on the machine or build a sub level table to allow me to do anything like this & both options would be a lot of work for me so will probably never get done

Wow! Thanks for the comments!!Of course I see all the stages I might have done it slightly better and faster now:)I found the original "Owl" thread that led me to buying my first model with my own money.http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=21208Unfortunately, all buying links got deleted. Went looking for the model last week for a friend, but I think it's a lost cause now to find the rightful owner, as it's all over the place at ridiculous prices.Dad never did get that model for Christmas,as I made it in CUT3D, and wasn't happy with the beginner pocket edges. Cut3D was too gommy for me with VCP7.***,Didn't really get into 3D till VCP8.5 which was a game changer for me.

Didn't really like the bevel on the top edge,the slightly loose bark,or the checking on the end grain. I didn't get to my aunt's place till 3 days after the tree was down. And I think this piece was a cutoff near the chainsaw cut. IMPORTANT to throw Anything on the end grain to seal it!I trimmed most of the ends for checking, and sealed with Linseed/beeswax "Butter" within the hour,and that worked well on all the small pieces like this except this one which had already checked.Anything from foundation sealer to just latex paint will help.This little guy has a slightly cracked head(Just like Me:)

Leo, I Do think the beveled end, and having the models bark similar to the curvature of real bark helps create that illusion.So much so, that I'll bevel the top of this piece also for my step-mom.

I think I'll also do a ZLevel roughing to see the interior colors roughly, and THEN mod my Z-Zero for for a 3DRaster roughing.On this one, I Z-zeroed from the spoilboard, and then dropped by .05" at a time the first pass on the 3D Roughing, until I had solid wood on his beak, and lower "flat" section looked interesting.Then I Nudged my Z-Zero for the Chinese .25mmR TBN down the same exact amount as the total I had done for the .125"Downcut (.3").I like a 3D Raster Roughing with a machining allowance of .02", so a coat of finish has better penetration for the finish cut(seems to help Fuzzies).

Quite a difference in the heart/sap combo in this one,may change model height a little to stay with a light colored Owl again? Or maybe Mottled:)I'll wait until caffeine/music inspired again Didn't do a darn thing today except decide which was "Top" on my step-mom's piece..positively Lazy! Thanks again for the kind comments!scott

Andy,That's in the model, all I did was rotate to roughly match the branch, and then resize height of model to reach the Heartwood after finding where interesting wood started on the roughing first pass.Wish the heck I knew who actually modeled this from the pic!! I imagine I would like most of his work because of the details!I'm just glad he modeled out the little guy's Jesses!

If I thought I could model like that from pics without years of practice...I'd sell something and buy Aspire in a heartbeat:)I'll let the Professionals do the skull sweat though

Think my step-mom will actually get this one based on the comments(sigh).Faired in the small spots where I stopped the finish toolpath because it was cutting my wood clamp, and a couple spots on the base to 600G yesterday.Based on the pic,I think the wood will be good for irises, and either black pen I use for signing, or a Tiny drop of black nail polish with a toothpick for the pupils will work well.Then 2-3 coats of linseed/beeswax for a soft satin finish will do it.Whole branch got a coat of Earthpaint 3D Illuminator/Earthpaint Linseed/D-limonene (roughly 30/35/35) left on for 30 minutes and then blown/brushed completely off 2 days ago, and bark looks good as is.

Now to cut mine when I can, and hopefully (as Michael M. told me once) "Luck Out" Good thing I Luck Out more often than not:)